Go to the 2018 Gubernatorial Videos main page to find out more about the letter we sent, the questions we asked, and the process we followed in making sure as many candidates as possible participated in this video voter guide.
The third week in February, the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT) sent letters to all the gubernatorial candidates, both the Democratic candidates and the Republican candidates, asking them to participate in our video voter guide. Those candidates included (in alphabetical order): Diane Black, Randy Boyd, Karl Dean, Craig Fitzhugh, Beth Harwell, Bill Lee, and Kay White. Participants who followed our guidelines and answered all 9 questions include Diane Black, Randy Boyd, Bill Lee, and Kay White.
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QUESTION 2
Do you think that either the concept of “gender,” as distinguished from “sex,” or “gender identity” should be included as a protected class in Tennessee’s civil rights laws? Why or why not?
DIANE BLACK
Diane Black’s answer transcribed from video
No, I do not think it should. I will go back to who is our Creator? Our Creator created us. He created individuals. He created a man and He created a woman. And I don’t think that we need a special class.
RANDY BOYD
Randy Boyd’s answer transcribed from video
As a conservative, I firmly believe in the free market, not more government. I don’t think the answers to the questions of gender or sexual orientation are going to be solved by more government.
BILL LEE
Bill Lee’s answer transcribed from video
It’s a basic principle that our laws exist to provide equal protection for everyone, and we already have that protection for every single American. At a time when we are way too divided, creating a new special class under the law only makes that problem worse. We don’t need more identity politics.
KAY WHITE
Kay White’s answer transcribed from video
Well, no, I do not because, David, God doesn’t make mistakes. He made us what we are born to be, be it male or be it female. And I do not think that either should be a protected class. We’re all protected under God’s laws, and we shouldn’t start trying to change what God Himself ordained in His books and in our identity. I do not agree with the transgender bathrooms, and I feel that mostly people who are transgender are predators if they are wanting to go into the bathroom that is not their gender. And that’s my concept of it, and I have even spoken with some gay people who have said to me, “Oh, I want to go into the bathroom of the gender that I was born to be.” But I do have friends that feel the same that are transgender, but they do not go into the other bathrooms. They’ve expressed to me that they too think that it’s more of the class of people who are predators and want to prey upon our young, defenseless people.
